The Best Gaming Motherboard for i7 8700k in 2020

Asus is known for making some of the best motherboards and here we have the Asus ROG Maximus X Code, which is a very high-end motherboard with all the bells and whistles that you could ask for. Most of the motherboard is covered in armor and it is a very interesting look that gamers are going to like.

The I/O shield is integrated into the motherboard for easier installation. You should be able to install this motherboard into your case with relative ease. This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4133+ MHz RAM speeds.

The Asus ROG Maximus X Code is a premium motherboard and costs a lot of money but if you are looking for the best motherboard that money can buy then this is definitely an option that you should consider.

This is an Asus motherboard, so you get exclusive features such as 5-Way Optimization with Auto-Tuning and FanXpert 4 AURA Sync RGB lighting and ROG exclusive SupremeFX S1220 CODEC for audio. The motherboard also comes with liquid cooler headers that will allow you to monitor the temperature and the flow of the liquid.

The motherboard comes with a clear CMOS button and BIOS flashback buttons in case you need to use them. You can find them with the rest of the ports. The motherboard comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C. The motherboard supports Intel 802.11ac WiFi.

The Asus ROG Maximus X Code is a premium motherboard for enthusiasts that has been designed with overclocking in mind. It goes well with the Intel 8700K and you can overclock the RAM as well if that is something that you are interested in. You can get the 8700K up to 5.1 GHz using this motherboard and proper cooling. All these premium features do come at a very high cost though.

Pros

Great for overclocking

Clear CMOS button

BIOS flashback button

Very nice to look at

Cons

Expensive

Bluetooth is not the best

2. Asus ROG Strix Z390-E – Best i7 8700k Motherboard for Gaming

Here we have another motherboard from Asus. While this is an ATX board, this is a newer model and features the Z390 chipset rather than the Z370. The look is new as well. It has the new cybertext, which I personally like very much and I actually have got a new Asus board with a very similar look. This is surely not for everyone but if you do like the design then this is a different look for sure.

The motherboard does have some armor and even the PCIe slots are reinforced for durability and better GPU support. This is an Asus motherboard so you get features like Revamped 5 way Optimization for overclocking, FanXpert, Gamer’s Guardian, ESD guards and ASUS optimum II. Not only can you overclock the Intel i7 8700K but you can overclock the RAM as well.

The Asus ROG Strix Z390-E Gaming motherboard is a very nice looking motherboard that is functional as well. This might not be the best Z390 motherboard on the market but it is not priced like that either.

This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4266+ MHz RAM speeds. The motherboard features 2 M.2 slots for fast storage and you even have 6 SATA 3 ports for SSDs and HDDs. The motherboard has multiple fan headers and even an AIO liquid cooler pump header. The motherboard has plenty of RGB options like other Asus motherboards and competing models on this list.

The I/O shield is preinstalled so you can install the board with relative ease. Other than that, the motherboard features integrated Wi-Fi. It comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen2, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C.

Not only does the motherboard worth with the 8700K but the 9700K and the 9900K as well. If you were to upgrade in the future you would not need to change your motherboard. That is something that you should keep in mind when in the market for a new motherboard.

Pros

Beautiful futuristic design

Plenty of fan headers

Dedicated AIO pump header

Great overclocking support

Robust build quality

Cons

Bottom M.2 cover is tricky to remove

Needs BIOS update

3. ASRock Z370 Killer – Best Budget Motherboard for Intel i7 8700k

We have yet another motherboard from ASRock. The Z370 killer is not as high-end as the ASRock Z370 Professional Gaming I7 but it does not cost as much either. The color scheme is subtle and the armor is not as much but that is not a bad thing.

This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4266+ MHz RAM speeds. Faster RAM does mean better performance in games and you can take advantage of that with this motherboard.

The ASRock Z370 killer is great value for the price. It comes with plenty of features but does not cost as much as most high-end Z370 motherboards. It could use more fan headers and an additional USB 3.0 header but other than that the motherboard is perfect for overclocking the 8700K.

The motherboard comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C. The motherboard has a very easy to use BIOS and the overclocking options are very helpful.

This is a Z370 chipset so you can overclock your Intel 8700K to 5 GHz provided that you use proper cooling. If you have a decent air cooler for i7 8700k or an AIO liquid cooler then you should be able to hit that number without any issues.

Pros

Easy to use BIOS

Onboard LED controller

Wi-Fi

Very impressive build quality

Extremely reliable

Cons

Needs more fan headers

An additional USB 3.0 header would have been nice

4. ASRock Z370 – Good i7 8700k Motherboard

The ASRock Z370 Professional Gaming I7 is an impressive option for gaming and professional work. The motherboard comes with all the features that you are going to need and you can save some money compared to more expensive Z390 options. The motherboard supports the 8700K out of the box and compatibility is not going to be an issue.

This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4333+ MHz RAM speeds. Out of the box, the motherboard is Intel Optane ready. While we recommend using a single powerful graphics card, the motherboard does support Nvidia SLI and AMD Crossfire if you need to use multiple graphics cards.

The ASRock Z370 Professional Gaming I7 is a very impressive motherboard for the price. It comes with all the bells and whistles that you are going to need. The motherboard is great for manual overclocking and the easy overclocking utilities are helpful as well. If you are looking for a solid motherboard to go with your 8700K but are not interested in spending too much money then this is a great option to consider.

The ASRock Z370 Professional Gaming I7 features 3 M.2 ports for fast storage and has 8 SATA ports for SSDs and HDDs. On the audio side, you have Purity Sound 4 & Creative Sound Blaster Cinema 3 which provides immersive sound quality when gaming and consuming content.

The motherboard comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C. The motherboard supports Intel 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.2. So you have plenty of ports and connectivity options. We recommend using ethernet for gaming but the Wi-Fi option is there if you ever need it.

Pros

10 Gb ethernet

Nice UEFI implementation

Impressive build quality

3 M.2 slots

Great for overclocking

Cons

Some users have reported missing items in the box

5. MSI Z370 GAMING M5

MSI has a number of great motherboards on the market that you can get for the Intel 8700K and the Z370 Gaming M5 is one of the models that we can recommend. The motherboard has a very sleek look and comes with plenty of armor. The RAM and PCIe slots are reinforced and should support your graphics card much better. Not to mention that the reinforcements will increase the durability of these slots.

The board also has plenty fo RGB lighting, so not only does the motherboard function well but it looks nice while doing so. This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4333+ MHz RAM speeds. Out of the box, the motherboard is Intel Optane ready. While we recommend using a single powerful graphics card, the motherboard does support Nvidia SLI. You can use the feature if you need to run multiple graphics cards.

The Z370 Gaming M5 is a very good motherboard that comes with all the bells and whistles that you expect to get in 2020. It works well with the 8700K and with proper cooling, you can get the CPU to 5 GHz without any issues. If that is your goal then the Z370 Gaming M5 is a motherboard that we can recommend.

The motherboard comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C. The motherboard has a very easy to use BIOS and th overclocking options are very helpful. If you have proper cooling then you can easily get the 8700K to 5.0 GHz.

The motherboard supports 9th generation CPUs as well but you will need to update the BIOS for that. This is something to keep in mind if you are interested in upgrading to the 9900K in the future. If that is the case then you will not need to change your motherboard.

Pros

High-quality motherboard

Supports high-speed RAM

Bios is easy to use

Supports 5.0Ghz overclock with proper cooling

Cons

Only 2 USB 2.0 headers can limit RGB compatibility

Lack of speaker makes troubleshooting difficult

6. GIGABYTE Z370 AORUS Ultra

Gigabyte has plenty of motherboards and Aorus is the premium brand from Gigabyte. While this is not as fancy as the Z390 motherboards, it is still compatible with the 8700K and has all the features that you are going to need for gaming and content creation. As this is not a Z390 motherboard you can save some money while getting pretty much all the features. You do not need to update the BIOS to get this motherboard working with the Intel 8700K.

This is an ATX motherboard and you can install it in any ATX case. You get 4 RAM Slots with support up to 64 GB, which is more than what you are going to need for gaming and ideal for professional applications. The motherboard supports 4133+ MHz RAM speeds.

It has 2 M.2 ports for fast storage and you also get 6 SATA 3 ports for SSDs and HDDs. It comes with all the ports that you expect to get on a motherboard in 2020 including HDMI, Display Port, USB 3.1 Gen1 and USB Type-C. The Orange accents are a nice touch and there are RGB zones all over the motherboard.

There is plenty of armor on the motherboard and the RAM slots and PCIe slots are reinforced for durability and better support for the graphics card. This motherboard offers pretty much everything that you are going to need for gaming or content creation and is not priced as high as Z390 motherboards.

Pros

Works with 8700K out of the box

Great price

Very nice design

Cons

Only 2 USB headers

What Motherboard Should You Pick for Intel i7 8700k?

What do you look for in a motherboard?

If you want the best that money can buy then the Asus ROG Maximus X Code is the option that you should consider. If you want the ability to upgrade to the 9th generation of CPUs down the line then you should consider getting the Asus ROG Strix Z390-E. If you want all the features but are not interested in spending a lot of money then you can go with the ASRock Z370 Killer.

These are the options that we think you should pick, but at the end of the day which option is the most suitable for you depends on how you perceive something is the most beneficial.

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